US to cut some security funds for European countries bordering Russia: #FT

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email [email protected] to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/0157d5f9-1b27-4d6c-b44e-f0a77da59b5d

The US is to phase out security assistance programmes for European armies along Russia’s border, as it pushes the continent to pay for more of its own defence.

Pentagon officials last week informed European diplomats that the US would no longer fund programmes that train and equip militaries in eastern European countries that would be on the frontline of any conflict with Russia, people familiar with the matter said.

Spending for the Pentagon programme, which falls under an authority known as section 333, must be agreed by the US Congress, but the Trump administration has not requested more money. Funds already approved will be available until the end of September 2026.

A White House official said the move aligned with President Donald Trump’s efforts to “re-evaluate and realign” foreign aid, and corresponded with an executive order he issued on his first day in office.

“This action has been co-ordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s long-standing emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defence,” the official said.

Under pressure from Trump, US Nato allies in June agreed to increase their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.

Winding down the section 333 funding would affect a programme with a worldwide budget of more than $1bn, according to estimates from Senate aides, potentially cutting hundreds of millions of dollars the US sends to the Russian border countries. The Pentagon has not informed lawmakers of the exact amount that will be phased out.

The programme allocated $1.6bn in Europe between 2018-2022, roughly 29 per cent of the global 333 spending, according to the US Government Accountability Office. Key recipients include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Officials from dozens of European embassies in Washington, including from countries that do not receive the assistance, attended a meeting where Pentagon officials told them about the cuts.

The move appeared intended to encourage wealthier European countries to pay for more of the frontline states’ security assistance, one European official said.

European governments were startled by the communication and are trying to get further details from Washington, according to two diplomats briefed on the discussions.

European officials are also trying to understand whether domestic funding can fill the gaps, or whether the cuts will have an impact on critical elements of European security.

“If they are being brutal then it will have big implications,” said one of the diplomats, adding that Nato would definitely be affected as some of the funding was routed through the alliance.

“It’s causing a lot of concern and uncertainty,” said the second diplomat, comparing it with Trump’s earlier decision to slash US international aid.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate’s foreign relations committee, described the cuts as a “misguided move that sends exactly the wrong signal as we try to force Putin to the negotiating table and deter Russian aggression”.

The US’s separate Foreign Military Financing programme, which provides funding to countries to buy big-ticket items such as fighter jets, ships and tanks, is not affected by the most recent decision, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The cuts also come as Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby seeks to shift US defence resources to the Indo-Pacific to boost deterrence and reduce the odds of a conflict with China over Taiwan.

Earlier this year, Washington abruptly halted shipments of munitions and several high-value weapons intended for Ukraine after Colby initiated a review that raised concerns about the US’s own stockpiles. Trump later ordered that the deliveries be resumed.